Downtown Boot Scoot arrives Friday night

Concerns about downtown street closure resolved at council meeting

Posted 6/8/23

A brand new Powell event featuring live music, games, food and drinks debuts Friday night.

Hosted by the Powell Medical Foundation, the Downtown Boot Scoot begins at 6 p.m.

Bozeman, …

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Downtown Boot Scoot arrives Friday night

Concerns about downtown street closure resolved at council meeting

Posted

A brand new Powell event featuring live music, games, food and drinks debuts Friday night.

Hosted by the Powell Medical Foundation, the Downtown Boot Scoot begins at 6 p.m.

Bozeman, Montana-based duo El Wencho — which plays a fusion of red dirt rock, blues, country, Americana and polyrhythmic Latin percussion — will headline the event and lead a street dance at Plaza Diane, with Josh Westerhold serving as the opener.

Powell Valley Healthcare is catering a BBQ dinner with pulled pork, potato salad, baked beans, coleslaw and nonalcoholic drinks, with the K-Bar Saloon offering adult beverages.

“Come, bring your families,” said Powell Medical Foundation Executive Director Amy Wells. “It will be family friendly.”

The event will celebrate the nonprofit’s 40th anniversary and raise funds for a remodel of the Powell Valley Healthcare lab. At a recent hospital board meeting, Wells said the remodel has been favored by donors, including a Powell resident who recently gave $10,000 and specifically mentioned their support of the project.

PVHC will also have its new mobile lab onsite for attendees to check out.

“Mainly it’s about brand awareness,” Wells said. “What we do, what we stand for.”

Tickets for the dinner and dance are $15 each, or $8 for kids under 12. Attending just the musical performance and other activities is $5 at the gate, with free admission for children 5 and under.

Parts of Bent and Second streets will be closed to vehicles during the event.

The Powell Medical Foundation initially sought a broader closure, asking to shut down Bent Street from the post office to The Commons and Second Street from the alley alongside Plaza Diane to the alley behind Big Horn Federal.

However, the prospect of cutting off vehicle access and parking in that broad of an area from 2-10 p.m. on a Friday drew objections.

Speaking at Monday’s Powell City Council meeting, Jessica Laughlin of WYOld West Brewing Company said she supports downtown events. However, “it’s really tough not having parking in front of our building on our busiest night of the week — for not only us, but for our customers and my servers,” Laughlin said.

Diedre Asay of Vali Twin Cinemas similarly said she’s all for events downtown, but Friday “is one of our busiest nights of the week.”

“... To have access on Second Street and on Bent Street blocked, the theater can pretty much guarantee we’re going to lose a significant amount of revenue for that night,” Asay said, noting it’s a particularly busy time of the year.

Powell Drug also shared concerns about customers being unable to pick up prescriptions on Friday afternoon and Powell Police Chief Roy Eckerdt said other businesses “were not happy.”

However, it appeared that everyone’s concerns were addressed after the council recommended narrowing the scope of the street closure. Bent Street will only be shut down for the half-block that runs from The Commons to Plaza Diane, along with the half-block of Second Street that runs along the plaza.

The business owners and Wells both indicated that plan would work.

“We don’t want to upset any of the businesses. Obviously we want to keep that … relationship open,” Wells said. “And this is for the good of Powell, right? We’re not trying to make anyone upset.”

For more information about the Downtown Boot Scoot, visit facebook.com/PMFHeart or call 307-754-7746.

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